Roof gardens and solar water systems may not be the kind of architectural details usually associated with the traditional Welsh terraced home...

The winning design in the competition to redesign the traditional terrace

Roof gardens and solar water systems may not be the kind of architectural details usually associated with the traditional Welsh terraced home.

But the house-type intrinsically linked with our industrial past has been given a design overhaul that could yet see it become the future’s ideal home.

Modern, more environmentally sustainable versions of the terrace could soon be built under a new pilot scheme – and it is hoped renovations to existing properties will also be a viable, cost-effective option.

As reported in Wednesday’s paper, the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) sought innovative designs to help secure the future of the homes synonymous with the Welsh Valleys and close-knit communities.

And now they have picked a winner, boasting features that would have seemed alien to the average early 20th century miner.

Shortlisted from more than 100 designs Cardiff-based Hatcher Prichard Architects with Ramboll (consulting engineers) won the design competition.

Their vision for the new and upgraded terrace includes a raft of energy-saving materials and design principles, such as harnessing solar energy and making best use of limited space.

Architect Shaun Pritchard said: “What we did was take the smallest terrace as a footprint so that we could demonstrate how we could make the design work in the smallest house.

“Obviously the larger the house, the easier the process would become.

“The proposal retains the existing superstructure and ground floor but adds a single storey kitchen extension to the rear on top of that is a sedum roof, which is basically an ecological low maintenance grass roof and low maintenance garden which would attract bees and butterflies.”

The design also includes a solar-heated hot water tank on a dormer roof, plus LED lighting throughout the home.

He added: “The idea was to keep the fundamental aspects of the terrace, getting the right balance between Welsh architectural heritage and the drive for low energy demand homes.”

At present terraced housing constitutes around 40% of homes in Wales, and it is a figure set to remain around the 28% mark by 2050.

“If we can develop a strategy which gives homeowners a number of options to upgrade, which is tested by one of the housing associations, it could be really effective.”

He said conversion costs could be kept to a minimum but it was important to understand the benefits, financially and otherwise, over the home’s lifespan.

“Much of the design aspects would be optional extras but key elements would be insulation, double/ triple glazing and heating methods,” he said.

RSAW is working with the Welsh Government, Cadw, RCT Homes and Grwp Gwalia, to develop the proposals.

RCT Homes will now work with the architects to develop the scheme and, subject to viability, will construct the resulting design as a live pilot study on one of their existing property plots.

The judging panel described the design as “a realistic practical scheme which tackles the challenges of lifestyle, fuel poverty, affordability whilst not compromising the character of the traditional Welsh terraced house”.

Andrew Sutton, RSAW president, said new housing is being built to conform with Britain’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 80% by 2050.

He said: “At current rates of building, we’d have to construct a new town the size of Canterbury every year for the next 37 years, just to fulfil the obligations on climate change we’ve already signed up to.

“So it’s plain that part of the strategy is going to have to involve adapting our current housing stock to meet the needs of the mid-21st century; not only in terms of energy efficiency, but also practical space, technology and affordability.”

Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, said properly understanding and caring for terraced houses is important for their own sustainability and also for the health and well being of families that occupy them.

He said: “A competition that investigates and celebrates these issues, with a view to finding innovative solutions is welcomed and I congratulate the Royal Society of Architects in Wales for developing this initiative.”

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